A vehicle navigation apparatus for displaying various information needed by vehicle users while traveling on a travel route such as an expressway are generally known. For example, a navigation apparatus disclosed in JP-A-8-261780 is designed to store point information containing the name of points such as an interchange, a service area or the like off an expressway, position information of each point and the distance between points, and a fixed-form expressway background pattern having blocks in which the point names of point information are included. In this apparatus, point information containing the names of points over which a vehicle will pass is read out on the basis of current position information obtained by GPS (Global Positioning System), and at the same time an expressway background pattern is read out. The point names thus read out are developed into the blocks of the expressway background pattern to create display data. As described above, the above apparatus makes it possible to simply display the relationship between the vehicle concerned and each point such as an interchange, service area or the like on the expressway.
Furthermore, according to the navigation apparatus described above, when a service area exists within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle, the name of the service area and facilities in the service area are displayed. In this way, a user can check whether there are desired facilities in an approaching service area.
Some travel routes do not include many service areas (sometimes referred to as rest stops). When the user drives a vehicle on such a route, the user must temporarily exit and find a gas station, restaurant or the like for obtaining gas, eating or generally resting.
Under such a situation, however, the navigation apparatus as described above merely displays facilities in service areas equipped on the travel route. Therefore, such a navigation apparatus cannot provide sufficient information to passengers of a vehicle on a travel route not including many service areas.